Step 1: Drive. Step 2: Stop when you run out of land. Step 3: Enjoy.

Roll out the towel, blow up the beach ball and hot step it across the sand ‘cause you forgot your jandles (that’s thongs to you Aussies out there). For us Kiwis, summer means long days spent touring our incredible beaches—the well-known ones and the secret bays you have all to yourself (yep, they do exist).

In our part of the world, the sand and surf are never more than a stone’s throw away. So take the day, grab one of our four wheeled memory machines and a feed of fish and chips and follow that sunblocked nose to a place where the land and sea meet. Life doesn’t get much sweeter.

2.4L Engine

Full Size

Toyota Camry Sedan or similar

x5 Passengers

Air Conditioning

Automatic

2 Large, 1 Small

SUV Compact

Nissan Qashqai or Similar

x5 Passengers

Air conditioning

Automatic

2 Large, 2 Small

The early bird gets the pool noodle

Alright lazy bones, up and at ‘em. Nobody wants to be out in the sun in the middle of the day, so here’s a trick—pack the SUV up with everything you need the night before and set the alarm for an early start. Morning on the beach is magic. Spread out the picnic blanket for a breakfast buffet. Thermos of coffee. Bacon and egg pie. You’ll likely have the whole place to yourself. And as the other beach goers roll in, you can be confident you’ve nabbed the best spot on the sand and the best park on the asphalt.

Rent The Experience

A rental car’s a rental car. A moving metallic shell capable of travelling at relatively high speeds from one point to another, safely harbouring people and said people’s material goods en route. It’s a means of getting from A to B, a functional requirement, a literal rental vehicle to something much bigger. A rental car experience.

An experience is something that helps to deﬁne us, that inspires us, that makes us more alive, more human. It’s a breath of mountain fresh air. The feel of a wind on our face. The ﬁltered orange glow of a breaking dawn. The pulse-racing rush of adrenaline, the quivering anticipation of a journey unknown.

An experience is something that validates our sense of who we are. It becomes weaved into the fabric of our existence. It can be brought to mind on a whim to help us escape to a better time. It lives on in us. Forever.